Masthead Spinnaker Crane

[Harry Ottey]

I am considering installing a crane on my 1974 Catalina 27. Does anyone know if this can be done without unstepping the mast? I would like to do it one pin at a time while in the chair, but I'm now wondering if it's safe to do it that way. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Garry]

Crane

I think you can do it. I installed the spinnaker crane from Catalina Direct with the mast down but I don't remember exactly which pins had to be removed. If you have external halyards they run over both forward and after sheaves and their associated pins so you won't be able to pull the pins if you are hanging on a halyard! Check the crane against the diagram of the C27 masthead at the Unofficial Catalina 27 web site below. It is under the heading C27 diagrams on the left side of the main page. If you don't have to pull the sheave pins to mount it it can be done with the mast up. If it uses the sheave pins you can only do it if you have internal halyards and you go up on the main halyard on the after side of the mast. Be careful not to loose anything down the inside of the mast (or the outside for that matter) while you work up there and be very careful going up the mast.